A stray ray of sunlight found its way into my eyes, another peaceful night's rest completed. In fact, most of my days have been wonderful and stress free, ever since I was stranded here months ago. A strange storm caused the ship I was on to crash, and when I woke, I was alone on the shore of an island.

Or maybe I died, and went to some sort of afterlife.

At first, I panicked. The island seemed deserted, and I was certain I would die of starvation or dehydration. But...

"Good morning, Queen!" the smallfolk all cheered, nearly in unison.

I sat upright on my 'bed,' which was really just a big, thick blanket given to me by the tiny, human-like inhabitants of the island. They used most of their resources to stitch it together for me. My bedroom was really just a small cave, but the way it was formed did very well to stop any rain from pouring in.

"Please, everyone, you can just call me Elle. We go through this every day," I said, sleepily.

Gurdur, an aged man, and also a bit of a 'Mayor' for the smallfolk, spoke up, "And we've gone through this every day with you! Calling you our Queen is the absolute highest honor, your majesty. To call you by your real name just doesn't feel right to us." Many in the crowd murmured in agreement.

I groaned. They had gone from being completely terrified of me eating or killing them, to idolizing me as a Queen within my stay here. Deep down, I was just thankful I didn't have to die alone on an island. Their company was truly a delight.

"I suppose, if it really makes you happy..." I answered Gurdur, and tried to hide a grin. The crowd buzzed in delight.

I was finally done trying to change their minds about it. After all, they're the reason I'm still alive. They're excellent farmers, magically able to produce enough food for me and themselves without fail.

Six men carried a clump of grapes to me. Individually, each grape was nearly the size of them.

"Thank you very much, I appreciate you all for your kindness," I spoke, and accepted the grapes. The men bowed, and returned to the crowd to their families.

As I ate my grapes, the crowd slowly began to hum with idle chatter. Every time I wake up, they want a 'hug' before going on with their day. Not a hug in the traditional sense, but just closeness in general.

I swallowed the last bit of grape mush, and tossed the vine outside, out of the way. "Time for hugs?" I asked.

Nearly on cue, the crowd rushed at me. I wouldn't allow them to be near me when I slept, for fear of accidentally hurting them during the night. But morning time was free game to interact with my 'subjects.' Nearly seventy of them were crowded around my legs as I sat cross-legged, and yet they couldn't quite climb up onto my calves or thighs on their own. I meticulously began to pick up each one, and greet them.

"Good morning, Peter," I greeted the young boy. He smiled back at me. "Be sure to help your mother with whatever she asks you to do, okay?"

"Yes ma'am!" Peter saluted me.

I brought him to my neck, and pressed him against it for a short hug. I barely felt his tiny arms stretched out, trying to hug me back. After we were done, I set him down, and he ran off to do whatever.

This ritual usually takes a little over half an hour, but I feel like it's important to show everyone how much I love them.
After awhile of hugs and asking everyone what they're up to, my cave was slowly emptying as my friends made their way back to their daily duties. However, something felt off. I must have missed someone. I kept count of who I had left to talk to, and sure enough, it was probably him again.

"You're the last one again, Adam. You don't have to keep hiding over there," I spoke to the left side of the cave entrance. Adam slowly poked his head around, and failed to make extended eye contact with me.

"You... How did you know?" Adam asked, sullenly.

I huffed. "I take this very seriously, sir. I keep track of every one of you. What kind of Queen forgets one of her beloved subjects?"

Adam slowly shuffled his way inside, towards me. He... was a bit of an outlier when compared to the rest.

I grew a bit impatient with him dragging his feet, so I crawled towards him and then scooped him up in two hands. He sat in my palms, staring at his feet.

"Still feeling blue?" I asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm not even sure why," Adam replied quietly.

I pulled him into a 'Hug,' but didn't put him back down on the ground.

"I'm sorry you're still feeling depressed, Adam. I wish there was something I could do to help," I admitted. Back at home, he definitely would have been on antidepressants if he were normal sized.

Adam lifted his head just a bit, and focused on something beyond my face. An attempt at eye contact.

"You do plenty already, Elle," Adam half-smiled.

  He was the only one who called me by my name, not that I minded Queen or whatever else. I'm pretty sure he just does it because he cares what I'd been saying all along.

"How so?" I asked.

"Well... I'm thankful you didn't forget me," Adam sighed. He must have been testing me by hiding outside of the cave during the morning Hug.

"That's all?" I asked, and used a thumb to stroke his head. "Listen, you're important to me. You all are. Please don't avoid me again on purpose, okay? I'm worried about you. Attend the morning Hug properly going forward-- Queen's orders."

I sat Adam back on the ground and smiled sweetly at him. He was blushing and staring me in the eyes, before awkwardly running away. "O-okay Elle... S-sorry!"

I giggled loudly to myself. I'm certain he heard it.

I made my way out of the cave, and into the sunlight. The ocean was within eyesight, so I decided to go pay a visit to the fishermen. Of course, they usually caught small things for themselves, but we had a net set up for myself in particular. Once I arrived, Barry hobbled over straight to me.

"Ahoy lass! I think we caught something in yer net!" Barry boasted.

"Really? Sweet!" I chirped, and walked over to the net and began pulling it back.

Sure enough, something was wriggling in it. I wasn't very good with the names of fish, but this thing was probably a foot long if I had to guess. There was no way the smallfolk would be able to wrestle this thing on their own.

Barry and a few of the other fishers whistled once I laid the fish out on a flat rock.

"Yer strength never ceases to amaze me lass! I'm glad yer a kind soul," Barry stated. He was one of many who ran from me when I first arrived on the island.

I smiled warmly at all the fishermen. "Nonsense, I'm just a normal woman where I came from." It's true, I had just turned twenty-seven a few months ago. There was nothing in particular that made me 'strong,' I just seemed strong to them because I was so much bigger. I had to be careful when I did anything, even my walking could be a hazard to these gentle people if I didn't pay enough attention.

"Well, carry on with yer Queenly duties. We'll have this cooked fer ye in a few hours," Barry promised.

Fish were my only source of protein since I couldn't find hardly any animals on the island, and the smallfolk were out of the question, obviously. I would rather starve to death than resort to that. Fortunately, they were pretty good at keeping me fed.

I cast my gaze towards the horizon, and noticed some dark clouds off in the distance. Storms were rare here, but I didn't want to risk any of my new family getting swept away or harmed. They could call me their Queen or whatever if they liked, but they were very special to me and were the only reason I was still alive on this island.

"Spread the word, if you can. There is probably going to be a storm tonight, and I want everyone in my cave, behind my bed as usual," I told Barry and the fishermen. They all nodded in agreement.

Everyone on the island usually had some chores or errands they liked to do to keep busy. While it was no sin to relax, most folks wanted to help and mingle with each other. It was necessary for survival, after all.

I made my rounds and wandered freely, helping several folks if there was a task I was actually able to assist with. Some welcomed it, and some would insist that I'm 'above' such menial things, being 'royalty' and all. There was one last stop, however, that I needed to make. I guessed it was late afternoon from the look of the sky, so daylight wouldn't last much longer. I made my way up a secluded hill, to the only graveyard that I knew of.

From a distance, I spotted Adam sitting down in front of two unmarked gravestones. Apparently, his parents both died around the same time last year, before I was even here. I quietly walked over, not wanting to disturb him with my footsteps. However, I forgot my shadow would completely engulf him when I got too close; he shot up, was startled pretty badly, and made a small yelp.

I put my hands up in a peaceful gesture. "Sorry, Adam. I didn't mean to frighten you..." I apologized. It was the honest truth. Scaring my little friends was not something I would intentionally do, but sometimes it happened.

"Oh, thank god it's just you, Elle... I thought..." Adam trailed off.

"Hmm?" I replied. Perhaps I should have left the subject alone.

"Big shadows, sometimes remind me of... My, uh, parents... They were caught by something," Adam explained before looking back to the graves and placed one hand on the left one, "these are just memorials. There's no one buried here."

My mouth had dropped in shock once I realized what he had just said. "Adam, I am so sorry that happened--"

"It's okay, Elle. But, can I ask you a favor?" Adam asked.

"Yes, of course, anything! What may I do for you?" I responded.

"Well, there's not very many animals on this island. Maybe a bird and a couple other things. However, they're all quite dangerous to us smallfolk. If you manage to spot them, please trap them or..." Adam trailed off.

"Kill them?" I finished his sentence.

Adam nodded.

"I understand. Well, I don't want anything dangerous to keep roaming about and threatening to gobble up any more of my precious friends. Is it fine if I cook them and eat them if I do catch any?" I asked, and pointed at my stomach, tracing my fingers over my ribcage through my tattered shirt.

I wasn't exactly starving, the smallfolk were able to keep me satisfied, but living here was a rough diet compared to the high calorie world of civilization I came from. I was skinny, for the most part, and always looking forward to eating anything I could find. Well, obviously except for my 'subjects.'

  Adam stared at the ground in thought for a moment, before looking back up to me. "Yes. I think I'd consider it justice if you did," he finally answered.

I gave him a quick smile. "Okay!" I happily agreed.

I got down on my knees, and placed my hands on my lap. I stared at the gravestones for a moment, then bowed my head. "I'm sorry I couldn't meet you two... But I promise I will do my best to protect your son and everyone else for as long as I I am able."

Before my short prayer was even over, Adam had turned away from me and had his head down. His shoulders were sagging, with intermittent upheavals. I'm pretty sure he was crying, but just didn't want me to see. So, I stayed quiet until he finished.

"All better?" I eventually asked.

Adam nodded, and turned back to face me with puffy, red eyes.

It was getting dark, and a storm would definitely be on us in less than an hour by now.

"Let's go back to my cave, I don't want anyone out in the storm, okay?" I suggested.

"Yes ma'am," Adam answered, a bit more formally than I preferred, and started walking towards the pathway back.

I cleared my throat loudly, enough to startle him, and knelt down with my hand out, palm upturned.

"May I carry you?" I asked, wearing a light smile. I didn't want to just grab him, I felt it would be rude.

Adam walked over to my hand, and leaned against the edge of my palm. He was not very energetic in any way, shape, or form. I folded my fingers around him and lifted him up to my cheek, and lightly pressed him against it-- one of my favorite ways to hug the little ones. He didn't move much, but I did feel his arms manage to stretch out and 'hug' me back.

I began walking back to my cave, careful to keep an eye out for anyone else, and directing the few stragglers to follow me as well.

Eventually, we all made it, there was a small bonfire built far away from my blanket, and a grilled fish lying on a flat rock in the cave nearby for me. I've already decided I would not be sleeping until the storm was over, and began to eat my fish while everyone settled in. The idle chatter of the crowd was relaxing to me, just knowing I was helping to keep these folks protected made me feel warm on the inside. I was sitting cross legged at the entrance, putting me between the outside weather and the folks huddled up in the cave behind my back.

Eventually, I finished my fish and turned around to crawl in further. "Everyone on my blanket. I'm not going to make you suffer a night with your backs on hard stone," I ordered. Well it was more of a polite order.

Half of the crowd started shuffling onto my 'bed,' while the other half began to protest.

"My Queen, where will you sleep?"
"Oh, I could never..."
"If you're sleeping on rock, then so will I."

I sighed loudly as everyone started to talk over each other, each more concerned for my health and wellbeing than the last.
"Please, please, I understand your concerns, but I want to make sure the storm doesn't get too bad and make its way into this cave somehow. And that none of you try to leave. If you need a bathroom break, I will personally need to keep track of who is outside and for how long," I flexed my authority over the group, but it was out of love.

Of course, there was also the very small chance an animal of some sort may try to seek shelter in here, and I wanted to be awake in case that happened.

Seconds turned into minutes, which minutes then turned into an hour. I glanced over at my bed, which was covered in many small groups of people. One or two were sleeping alone. I began to count everyone, just to make sure. However, I came up one short, and started to panic.

A recount reinforced that I wasn't mistaken. Did someone go outside without my knowledge? No, I was watching the whole time.

My eyes scanned around the area. It wasn't very big, but eventually I did see that one lone soul had isolated themself from the rest, and was sitting with his back against the cavern wall.

Ah. Adam again. Such a little introvert. I crawled over and scooped him up without his permission. He must have been half asleep, because he didn't notice me until he was already practically in my hand.

"What are you--?" Adam began to ask, until I covered his mouth with the tip of my thumb.

"Since you're not going to sleep on my bed, you're going to sleep on me," I whispered bluntly. "I'm tired of you putting yourself last."

I moved my thumb away, allowing Adam to speak freely again.

"Oh really? That seems real easy for you to say, Ms. I'm-Gonna-Stay-Awake-And-Watch-The-Storm..." Adam teased in a hushed whisper as well. The storm was ramping up outside, and provided enough white noise to drown our voices out so we wouldn't wake the others.

"Shut it," I jabbed back, and hobbled back over to my previous spot. I sat down, cross legged, with my back against a cave wall.

I held Adam in both hands, and stroked his hair with one of my thumbs. He started to fidget uncomfortably.

"E-Elle, wait..." Adam began to plead. I didn't know what was wrong. Wasn't this comforting?

"Shush. Calm down, it's bedtime little one," I tried my best to sound soothing. "There's no way out of this, since I can't trust you to do what's best for yourself and go lie down on my blanket."

"B-But!" Adam continued, starting to sound more flustered. I could barely make it out, but he seemed to be blushing and curling up into more of a fetal position than usual.

I could not, for the life of me, figure out what was wrong. I'd held him countless times before, why all of a sudden was he having any resistance about it? I was about to try something drastic as a last ditch effort for his comfort. Men like boobs, right? Even tiny men?

"Hush. Any further whining from you and I'm shoving you between my tits and you'll have to figure out how to sleep in there," I warned. Well, I wanted it to sound more like a warning than a flirt, but I didn't really mind either interpretation.

"P-Please let me go, I getting an erec--" Adam quickly spoke, but I wasn't listening, nor having any more of this nonsense.

"That's it," I stated curtly.

I pulled down my shirt a bit, and pressed Adam down in between my breasts, being careful not to hurt him in doing so. He should still be able to wriggle around and get some air.

"Accept something good for yourself for once," I gloated to Adam, who was somewhere within my breasts now.

Adam struggled until he popped his head and arms out. He didn't move much further.

"Ahh, you're oddly still now, aren't you?" I teased.

"I can't, I feel like I'm commiting sexual harassment if I put my hands anywhere or move," Adam answered shyly. His face was pure red. And his arms were now sticking straight up in the air as if he had a gun pointed at him.

I sighed.

"I literally put you where you are at right now. But if you need me to say it, you have my consent to reorient yourself if necessary. It's the coziest place on me I could think to put you," I responded matter-of-factly. "And for goodness sake you can put your arms down, I don't mind," I huffed, and he reluctantly complied.

Stray droplets of rain were sailing into the cave, and started to coat Adam and myself. I adjusted myself and blocked the stray raindrops with a hand hovering over him like an awning.

As soon as Adam appeared to have gone to sleep, I found myself getting drowsy as well. The sound of rain was hypnotic. Eventually, I must have fallen asleep as well, leaned back against the wall of the cave.

Everyone around me is so fragile, and precious. Gurdur said they had really struggled to survive before I came along. There wasn't much waiting for me back at home, and this island has been quite the adventure for me so far. I adored my little companions. This place feels like it was made just for me, and I wanted nothing more than to watch it flourish.